Chapter Three
"A Wizard's duel?"
"A wizard's duel."
"Merlin you all are daft." I couldn't help but to scoff at the boys as they filled me in on what happened. Apparently after I had left dinner to pick up a book from the library Draco had challenged Harry and Ron to a wizards duel. The two boys found me in the common room and had to fill me in right away.
"We are going to meet here half past eleven then meet Malfoy in the Trophy Room at midnight. Are you in?" Harry asked a frown on his face and as much as I wanted to say no, I knew that I had to go.
With a heavy sigh I put down my book and glanced at my watch. It was only eight thirty.
"I'll go but only to convince Draco that this is a bad idea. Honestly I leave you guys for ten minutes and you're both already stirring up trouble."
At half past eleven I pulled a jumper on over my pajamas and crept down to the common room that was now empty. I looked around a bit before I noticed a bushy haired girl sitting in the dark, a large frown on her face as she stared intently at the boy's stairwell.
"Hermione." I hissed trying to keep my voice down as she flicked on the light a bit startled to see me. "What are you doing down here in the dark? That's a little creepy you know."
The frown on her face grew even more as she took in my appearance.
"Of course you're going with them. I thought you'd have more sense than that." She hissed and I found myself reeling a bit at her words. I was about to respond when both the boys came down the stair case and found the two of us.
"You!" Ron hissed pointing at Hermione. "Go back to bed!"
"I almost told your brother!" She snapped turning her attention to the guys. "He's a prefect, he'd put a stop to this."
Harry rolled his eyes then started to make his way out the portrait with Ron and I following. I had hoped Hermione wasn't going to follow us but her being as stubborn as she was, she continued to tail us hissing angrily.
She stopped suddenly when she saw that the Fat Lady was gone and Hermione was locked out of the Gryffindor tower.
"Now what am I going to do?" She almost shrieked causing me to wince.
"That's your problem. We've got to go, we're going to be late."
He grabbed my wrist and started to pull me across the corridor but we didn't get far before Hermione caught up with us. Insisting to come along with us.
While Hermione and Ron argued about whether she was coming or not we stumbled upon Neville who was laying on the ground fast asleep. I immediately bent down next to him to make sure that he was okay.
"Thank goodness! I've been out here for hours, I couldn't remember the new password to get in to bed."
Somehow we ended up with both Neville and Hermione in tow as we made our way through the hall, praying that we wouldn't get caught. Somehow with a stroke of luck we managed to make it into the trophy room. The moonlight glimmered off of all the different cups and statues. Time slowly went by and there was no sign of my brother, Crabbe, or Goyle.
"Harry I hate to say this but I think it's a set up." I whispered to the dark haired boy and a noise from the room over caused us all to jump.
It wasn't my brother though it was someone much much worse. Filch. Talking to Mrs. Norris his cat. The five of us scurried as fast as we could through the hall, trying to be quiet yet not doing a great job. Just when we thought we were free Peeves spotted us.
"STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!"
His voice bellowed behind us as we ran for our lives trying to get through a locked door. Hermione hastily unlocked it with a spell and we piled in as fast as we could. As the others pressed their ears on the door to listen in on what was going on with Filch and Peeves both Neville and I found ourselves stunned.
In front of us was something out of a horror story. Three dog heads were glaring down at us, eyes mad and slobbering. It seemed shocked to see that we were there but before I could process what was going on the door fell open from behind us causing everyone to fall out. And we ran again yet this time back to the Gryffindor tower.
"Where on earth have you all been?" The Fat Lady asked shocked as she looked at us and Harry breathed out the password.
We all scrambled into the familiar room and collapsed into chair. My hands were shaking and heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest. Merlin that was…. Terrifying.
"What do they think they're doing? Keeping a thing like that in a school?" Ron demanded breaking the silence. "If any dog needs exercise that one does."
Hermione let out a huff. "You don't use your eyes do you? Didn't you see what it was standing on?'
"The floor? I wasn't looking at its feet, I was too busy with its heads" Harry retorted and she stood up looking angrily at all of us.
"No not the floor, it was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something. I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could have all been killed- or worse expelled. Now if you don't mind I'm going to bed."
She then stormed upstairs and I couldn't help but to give the other two a desperate look. When she wasn't so wound up she was fine to get along with but otherwise it was a nightmare.
Something in my head clicked and I turned towards the two boys. Ron who was still looking miffed that Hermione had come with us.
"You'd think we dragged her along wouldn't you." He scoffed and I couldn't stop myself from nodding at his words.
"Do you think they're hiding the package from Gringotts?" I asked and both Harry and Ron looked at me in surprise. "It probably has to be something that's valuable. I mean you can't just break into Gringotts for nothing."
The three of us stood there in silence before deciding to go to bed. All of us exhausted and minds whirling.
"Can we talk?" I looked up from my plate to see Draco standing above me, shifting awkwardly. Neither Crabbe nor Goyle were at his side and the boys were still sleeping having had a long night before. Nodding I got up from the chair and followed him out of the Great Hall. It was going to be the first time we really talked since I got sorted.
"Did you go with Potter last night?" Draco demanded after we found a quiet alcove to talk. I nodded giving him a slight glare.
"What's your problem with him anyways? I get that you guys don't really get along but there's no need for you to be an absolute prat." I hissed back and his expression fell a bit.
Neither of us said anything for a moment, both staring at each other. It was hard being away from him for so long. It was hard seeing him so much yet not being able to talk to him like I normally did.
"You abandoned me." He mumbled and my eyes snapped over to him. I saw that his fists were clenched and he was avoiding eye contact.
"What do you-"
"We were supposed to go be in the same house!" He exclaimed his face starting to flush I couldn't stop myself from taking a small step back. "We were supposed to be in the same house and have the same friends like always and you've just gone up and left."
My eyes started to burn and my throat felt dry at his words. He couldn't be serious.
"For the first time I've got my own friends." I snapped back clenching my fists. "I've got my own friends, my own life for the first time ever! And you guys- Mother, Father even you just keep making it so much worse! This is my chance to actually be someone and you guys keep on trying to ruin it."
The words left my mouth before I could even stop them. Draco took a step back as if I slapped him. My stomach was bubbling with anger and guilt. I felt kind of like throwing up.
"Don't you dare blame us. We are supposed to be family and you just go off doing god knows what with those sorts! Dad is furious and you don't even care!" He snapped which only made my eyes water even more. Before I could say anything else he stormed off leaving me. My eyes watering and stomach heavy.
